PALAK Patel was 21 years old when her husband allegedly stabbed her just before midnight on April 12, 2015. They were both working at a donut shop in Maryland. Her husband, Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel, immediately fled. It was only when a customer arrived later and—noticing there weren’t any employees around—alerted the local authorities, who discovered Palak. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The FBI added Bhadreshkumar Patel to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List and is offering a reward of up to $250,000 for information leading to his arrest.
On May 31, 2025, Palak would have turned 32. In honor of her upcoming birthday, the FBI urges the public to come forward with any tips that may lead us to her killer, so that it may bring closure and justice to Palak and her family.
“I want justice for my daughter,” said Palak’s mother. “This was a clear betrayal on her husband’s part for no reason. She just wanted to return to India. Our family will never be the same. We love and miss Palak very much. I am not losing hope. I am confident that one day Bhadreshkumar will be caught because everyone in this case is working hard for justice.”
Palak Arvindbhai Patel was born in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, a region in India, on May 31, 1993. As a young woman, she was known as a caring and kind person who dedicated her life to serving others. She loved children and aspired to be a teacher someday. Mature beyond her years, she was a hard worker and took on the responsibility of caring and providing for her family.
On November 25, 2013, 20-year-old Palak entered into an arranged marriage with 23-year-old Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel. Bhadreshkumar was born May 15, 1990, in Kantrodi Ta Viramgam, Gujarat, India.
After the wedding, Palak moved in with her in-laws in Ahmedabad.
Palak’s parents had no indication that she and Bhadreshkumar were planning to go to the United States until only a few days before the departure, when she shared with them that she received her U.S. visa.
In September 2014, Palak and Bhadreshkumar arrived in the U.S. with the hope to make a new life for themselves, while making money to send home to family in India.
Palak and Bhadreshkumar began working at a donut shop franchise for one of Bhadreshkumar’s distant family members. They worked a 12-hour night shift together and then alternated working dayshifts.
In March 2015, Palak’s parents visited her and Bhadreshkumar in the U.S. During their stay, her parents didn’t find anything unusual—except that Palak was never allowed to be alone with her parents. Bhadreshkumar was always present.
That spring, Palak was homesick and eager to return to India. Sadly, she would never make it home.
On April 12, 2015, Palak and Bhadreshkumar were working a night shift at the donut shop.
Video surveillance footage shows Palak and Bhadreshkumar in the back of the store. Bhadreshkumar is leading Palak into a storage area—he’s walking briskly and holding a cell phone that appears to be on speaker phone. Palak is following him, but then both of them disappear from the camera’s view.
This is the last time Palak was seen alive.
Just before midnight, Bhadreshkumar allegedly stabbed Palak multiple times with an edged weapon in what was a painful and horrific murder. There were still customers inside the shop, unaware of what was happening in the back.
After the attack, Bhadreshkumar fled through a rear door. To evade law enforcement and responsibility for his wife’s murder, Bhadreshkumar went back to his apartment, changed clothes, collected his personal belongings, then quickly left the area, taking a cab to Newark, New Jersey. His last known sighting before vanishing was the following morning at Newark-Penn Station.
Realizing that Bhadreshkumar was an international flight risk, local police requested FBI assistance. Bhadreshkumar was charged with Palak’s murder and as soon as it was confirmed he fled the state, a federal arrest warrant was issued, charging him with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
Special Agent Jonathan Shaffer from the FBI Baltimore field office has been working on Palak’s case. He noted, “What was common in domestic violence cases like this—that the perpetrator oftentimes expresses remorse immediately after. And yet in this situation, Bhadreshkumar did not. He immediately formulated a plan to evade law enforcement and to flee the area.”
This unprovoked attack has left investigators with many unanswered questions.
The motive remains unclear, other than Palak wanted to go back to India, and Bhadreshkumar was unwilling to let her go.
What we do know, as seen in the video surveillance, is that Palak willingly following Bhadreshkumar to the back of the store where her life was brutally taken, says the FBI.
“She obviously had no awareness that she was about to be murdered—whether it’s due to her trusting nature or the way that he snapped in the moment,” said Shaffer. “But she clearly had had no idea. There was no struggle in the seconds just prior to her murder.”
If you have any information or tips to help us catch Bhadreshkumar, we are asking you to please come forward and be a part of the effort to bring justice to Palak and her family, says the FBI.
“I would plead for anyone that believes they know the whereabouts of Bhadreshkumar Patel to come forward and provide information to the FBI about where he may be at this point,” said Shaffer. “I believe that people out there know him whether they realize it or not at this juncture, but someone knows where’s he’s at.”
Bhadreshkumar is 35 years old with brown hair and brown eyes. He’s 5’9″ tall and weighs about 165 pounds. He also goes by the name Bhadresh. You can learn more and view the aforementioned surveillance footage at fbi.gov/topten.
To share any information or to submit a tip, you are requested to contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate or call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). You can also submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
“Though ten years have passed since Palak’s murder, we continue to actively search for Bhadreshkumar and follow every lead that comes into the FBI,” said Shaffer. “We remain committed to arresting him and bringing him back here to Maryland to face justice for the murder.”
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